System and method for lock on target tracking with free targeting capability

• US 8,834,245 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Haigh-Hutchinson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Brewster, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SKAARUP, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/222,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20090181736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/2, 463/30, 463/36, 463/42, 463/49
• US Class Current: 463/2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/55 Controlling game characters or game objects based on the game progress
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/306 for displaying a marker associated to an object or location in the game field
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

An example video game includes a virtual game world including a video game character movable within the virtual game world and one or more targets. A first target in the virtual game world can be locked onto so that the first target remains substantially at the center of a field of view of the game character within the virtual game world. A reticle may be moved to target one or more second targets in the virtual game world while the first target remains locked onto.

Claims

1. A video game method implemented using at least one processor, comprising:

causing the at least one processor to;

apply a lock to a first game object in a virtual game world so that the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of a game character as the game character moves within the virtual game world;

maintain the lock on the first game object while allowing a targeting reticle to move to temporarily target one or more second game objects spatially separated from the first game object in the virtual game world, the first game object staying substantially in the center of the field of view of the game character while the lock is maintained on the first game object; and

cause, when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the one or more second game objects, the targeting reticle to return to the center of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

changing a characteristic of the targeting reticle when the one or more second game objects are targeted.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the changed targeting reticle characteristic comprises color.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the changed targeting reticle characteristic comprises shape.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the locking onto the first game object comprises moving a target indicator to indicate the first game object.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a lock-on graphic to designate the locked-on first game object.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform features comprising:

applying a lock to a first game object in a virtual game world so that the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of a game character as the game character moves within the virtual game world;

maintaining the lock on the first game object while allowing a targeting reticle to move to temporarily target one or more second game objects spatially separated from the first game object in the virtual game world, the first game object staying substantially in the center of the field of view of the game character while the lock is maintained on the first game object; and

causing, when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the one or more second game objects, the targeting reticle to return to the center of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.

10. A video game system comprising:

an input device; and

a processor for generating a virtual game world for display on a display device, the processor being configured to;

apply a lock to a first game object in a virtual game world based at least in part on first inputs supplied via the input device so that the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of a game character as the game character within the virtual game world,

maintain the lock on the first game object while allowing a targeting reticle to move to temporarily target one or more second game objects spatially separated from the first game object in the virtual game world based at least in part on second inputs supplied via the input device, the first game object staying substantially in the center of the field of view of the game character while the lock is maintained on the first game object; and

cause, when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the one or more second game objects, the targeting reticle to return to the center of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object.

11. The video game system according to claim 10, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.

12. A video game played in a game system having a processor, the video game comprising:

a virtual game world created using the processor and comprising a video game character movable within the virtual game world and one or more game objects;

a lock-on mechanism for locking onto a first game object in the virtual game world so that the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of the game character as the game character moves within the virtual game world; and

a targeting reticle moving mechanism for moving a targeting reticle to target one or more second game objects in the virtual game world,

wherein the lock-on mechanism maintains the lock on the first game object while allowing the targeting reticle to move to temporarily target at least one spatially separated second game object,

wherein the first game object is kept substantially in the center of the field of view of the game character while the lock-on mechanism maintains the lock on the first game object, and

wherein the targeting reticle is caused to return to the center of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the at least one second game object.

13. The video game according to claim 12, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.

14. A video game method implemented using at least one processor, comprising:

causing the at least one processor to;

move a video game character within a virtual game world in response to game character movement inputs;

apply a lock to a first game object in the virtual game world so that the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of a game character as the game character moves within the virtual game world;

maintain, via the at least one processor, the lock on the first game object while allowing a targeting reticle to move in response to targeting reticle movement inputs to temporarily target one or more second game objects spatially separated from the first game object in the virtual game world; and

cause, when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the one or more second game objects, the targeting reticle to return to the center of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object,

wherein game character movement inputs for moving the game character in a sideways direction relative to the locked-on first game object cause the game character to move in a circle around the locked-on first game object whereby the first game object remains substantially at the center of a field of view of a game character.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

changing a characteristic of the targeting reticle when the one or more second game objects is targeted.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the changed targeting reticle characteristic comprises color.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the changed targeting reticle characteristic comprises shape.

18. The video game method according to claim 14, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program executed by a processor, the program comprising:

locking onto a first game object in a virtual game world, the first game object being in a field of view of a game character;

moving the game character in the virtual game world while keeping the first game object in a substantially same position in the field of view of the game character;

targeting, using a targeting reticle, a second game object spatially separated from the first game object in the field of view of the game character while maintaining the lock onto the first game object, the first game object remaining in the substantially same position of the field of view of the game character; and

causing, when the targeting reticle is no longer targeting the second game object, the targeting reticle to move to the substantially same position of the field of view of the game character and to target the first game object.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the substantially same position of the field of view of the game character is a substantially center position of the field of view of the game character.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the field of view of the game character is from a first-person viewpoint.